Falconer'' s Palccontological Memoirs. 229 



of the neighbouring range of hills, and was the first to establish a 

 strict definition of the name "Sewalik," which had previously- 

 been but vaguely understood. He restricted the term to " the 

 tertiary elevations commonly separated from the Himmalayan range 

 by valleys, or " dhoons," and this definition, after a little opposi- 

 tion in the first instance, has been since generally adopted by 

 geologists. 



One of the first results of his explorations was the establishment 

 of the fact that the hills in question belonged, not to the " New 

 Red Sandstone," as had been before supposed, but to the tertiary 

 period. This opinion, however, was founded mainly upon geolo- 

 gical and physical evidence, though strengthened by the occurrence 

 of beds of lignite and fossilized dicotyledonous woods which had 

 been already noticed by Lieut. Cautley in 1827. But although 

 at the time, when he had thus satisfied himself of the tertiary age 

 of the hills, the evidence of animal remains was wanting, his 

 prescient mind, nevertheless, led him to foresee " that the remains 

 of Mastodon and other large extinct Mammalia would be found 

 either in the gravel or in other deposits occupying the same 

 position in some part of the range;" and towards the end of 1831 

 he was able himself to confirm the truth of this sagacious anticipa- 

 tion by the evidence of a " black cylindrical fossil " which had been 

 found some years before by his friend, Lieut. Cautley, but whose 

 real nature had been previously overlooked. Stimulated by the 

 knowledge of the true nature of this relic, he was led by further 

 investigation to the discovery of bones of crocodiles, tortoises, &c., 

 and of other fossil remains, a brief notice of which important dis- 

 covery was given in the Journal of the Asiatic Society in March 

 1832. 



Two years subsequently, or in April 1834, Dr Falconer dis- 

 covered in the Simli Pass the shell of a fossil tortoise, and 

 shortly afterwards Captain Cautley found in the Kalowala Pass 

 numerous more perfect remains, not only of reptiles, but also in- 

 cluding those of mammalian genera, belonging to the Miocene epoch. 

 "The finding, therefore, of the fossil fauna of the Sewalik Hills was 

 not fortuitous, but a result led up to by researches suggested by pre- 

 vious special study, and followed out with a definite aim." 



Towards the end of the same year, also. Lieutenants Baker and 

 Durand, pursuing a similar line of research, discovered the 

 great ossiferous deposit near the valley of the Murkunda. On 

 being informed of this important "find," Dr Falconer hastened to 



